Markers or marking poles are commonly used to identify a periphery or edge of a driving surface so that the edge of the surface is visible to an operator of a vehicle using the driving surface. The driving surface may include, for example, a public road, a private road, or a driveway. Markers are useful, for example, during the winter season when precipitation in the form of snow, ice, and or sleet and accumulates on the ground thereby obscuring the edge of the driving surface. In these conditions, it is easy for an operator to drive off the driving surface. Pole markers are also useful for identifying the edge of the driving surface at night. Pole markers are also useful for identifying the transition between a driving surface and a non-driving surface in hard to see conditions. For example, when leaves or other debris cover the surface.
Snow and other precipitation is commonly removed from a driving surface by a plow fixed on the front of a heavy vehicle such as a truck or a tractor. A blade of the plow is placed on or proximate to the driving surface. The plow is moved forward along the driving surface thereby removing snow accumulated on the driving surface.
A disadvantage of using a plow to remove snow is that the plow will damage or remove curbs and other features at on the edge of the driving surface, such as Belgian block or formed asphalt curbs. Typically, these features are covered by the snow and are not visible to the operator of the plow.
A disadvantage of known markers, however, is that they are positioned by inserting one end of the marking pole into the ground adjacent to the asphalt surface. In the case of the curb, Belgian block or the like, the marker can only be positioned outside the rigid edge material and is thus offset from the true edge of the driving surface. As a result, a plow operator relying on the markers positioned outside of the curb may inadvertently plow into the curb resulting in costly damage.
What is needed therefore is a device and method to securely fix the marker so as to more accurately identify the edge of a driving surface for a pedestrian or vehicle operator.